True leadership is when each of us steps into who we truly are. It’s the discovery and deep understanding of our personal story that brings meaning to our lives. We trust leaders who are authentic and not trying to be someone else. But successfulleadership is the combination of being your true self while also learning about the people around you and what they need. This combination enables leaders to create an environment and culture in which people offer their best selves to a team, partnership or relationship in order to achieve desired results. Our most successful leaders also integrate the masculine (head) with the feminine (heart) parts of themselves and their organizations to create harmony. And they bridge authenticity with strategy, integrating warmth and competence. Finally, they bring kindness with strength of purpose, caring with tenacity and listening with decisiveness. Who are these leaders and how can we learn from them? This speech will share examples and best practices for us to consider in our own leadership, both at home and work.

Leadership Creates a Feeling -- How to Create a Modern Workforce for the 21st Century

The workforce of the 21st century is very different than anything we’ve seen in the past, and organizational leaders must quickly adapt as they confront cutting-edge issues like gender diversity, the Millennial influx and dynamic technological change. Clearly, the old masculine model of command-and-control leadership is no longer effective in this new environment; so a new leadership model must take hold. Indeed, leaders today must be conscious about their behavior and its impact on others. More specifically, they must be self-reflective and try to understand their strengths and weaknesses. In addition, they must ask questions, not just provide answers, in order to build relationships and facilitate teamwork and collaboration. And, finally, they must bring out the productive feelings in the people around them. When people feel valued, supported, appreciated and understood, they do their best work. Based on Betsy Myers’ book, Take the Lead: Motivate, Inspire, and Bring Out the Best in Yourself and Everyone Around You, this speech will articulate the key principles for any profit-minded leader who wants to create a modern workforce for the 21st century.

Traits of Resilient Leaders -- How to Navigate an Uncertain and Disruptive World

Business resilience takes shape in the wake of disruptive change, when we’re forced to confront unpalatable, unexpected or uncertain scenarios or events that shake our organizations to the core -- from top to bottom. Disruptive change often causes employees to lose their focus and comfort level; their energy is frequently dissipated; and their morale and confidence can plummet. Unfortunately, this is the perilous life we live in the volatile 21st century global economy, and very few companies escape dislocation at some point in time. But it’s not what happens to an organization that truly matters; what’s important is how it bounces back -- and, more significantly, how its leaders respond and react in the face of potentially dangerous and damaging crises. As Carl Jung said, "I am not what happened to me. I am what I choose to become." This speech will explore our leaders’ capacity for resilience in times of calamity or grave predicament, along with key leadership strategies that can help organizations survive and thrive in the most threatening and disheartening situations.

Meet Betsy Myers

A foremost expert on leadership development, Betsy Myers is dedicated to working with organizations and individuals around the world to help shape the next generation of leaders.

A leader in her own right, Myers has a proven track record of building, growing and strategically realigning organizations across business, government, politics and academia. In her new book—Take the Lead: Motivate, Inspire, and Bring Out the Best in Yourself and Everyone Around You (September, 2011)—Myers takes a fresh look at characteristics and traits that enable individuals to motivate, inspire and influence individuals and groups. Speaking on various topics such as leadership, teamwork, diversity, career development and women’s issues, Myers’ presentations take the audience through an effective process that unlocks human potential and maximizes productivity while giving examples on how to help attendees, their colleagues and team members develop long-term vision while feeling valued. She demonstrates how each of us have opportunities each day to take the lead and shares her seven core principles that will enable everyone to be more productive, engaged, and successful. Myers currently serves as Founding Director of the Center for Women & Business at Bentley University. Prior to her appointment at Bentley, she served as President Obama’s Chief Operating Officer during the 2008 campaign, Executive Director, Center of Public Leadership at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and Director, White House Office for Women’s Initiatives and Outreach during the Clinton Administration.